Fabric-type open toe footwear system

ABSTRACT

One embodiment of the present invention relates to an open toe footwear system including a base member, toe post, and strap member. The toe post is coupled to the base member at a region corresponding to a location between a user&#39;s big toe and the adjacent toe. The strap member is intercoupled between the toe post and two lateral foot coupling regions on the base member. The strap member includes a structural portion which may be composed of a stiffer fabric type material that is configured to maintain separation from the base member. The strap member further includes a stretched padding portion coupled to and extended over the structural portion so as to be externally exposed on both the top and bottom surfaces of the strap member. The coupling on the top surface of the strap member between the stretched padding portion and the structural portion may be seamless. The stretched padding portion may include both a wrapping and retaining tensile extension.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to open toe footwear. In particular, thepresent invention relates to an improved fabric-type strap member for anopen toe footwear system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Open toe footwear comprises various footwear systems that include asupportive base member disposed under the sole of the foot along with aretaining system to hold the foot on the base member. One particulartype of open toe footwear is a sandal or flip-flop that includes aspecific triangular foot retaining system. A sandal or flip-flop mayalso be referred to as a Zori, a thong, or a three point strapconfiguration sandal. The foot retaining system of a flip-flop commonlyincludes a toe post and two lateral foot posts intercoupled via a strapmember. The toe post and lateral foot posts are coupled to the basemember. The toe post is positioned on the base member so as to alignwith the region of the foot between the first and second toes. Thelateral foot posts are positioned on the base member on either side ofthe user's foot with respect to the toe post. The strap member extendsbetween the toe post and each of the respective lateral foot posts. Thefrontal region of a user's foot is thereby retained between the basemember and the strap member via the toe post and lateral foot posts.This form of frontal foot retainment enables a user's foot toefficiently articulate about the metatarsal region, including allowanceof the heel region to separate from the base member. One alternativeform of sandal and open toe footwear includes a strap member extendingbetween two lateral foot posts without a toe post.

Open toe footwear systems are often worn barefoot or without fabric footcoverings such as socks. One particular type of open toe footwear is afabric-type strapped sandal that includes a strap member and/or a toepost composed of fabric like materials rather than plastic or rubbercomposites. Fabric-type strapped sandals are generally considered moreformal and comfortable than sandals composed primarily of rubber likematerials. One of the problems commonly associated with fabric-typestrapped sandals is discomfort due to repeated pressure, pinching,chaffing, bruising and/or rubbing of the strap member on the skin of auser's foot. This chaffing occurs particularly while a user is walkingor articulating the foot within the sandal. During operation, the user'sheel lifts causing the muscles in the foot to flex which results inpressure between the top of the foot and the strap member of the sandal.Various improved fabric-type sandals have attempted to minimize orreduce the chaffing by adjusting the material compositions of the toepost and/or strap members of the sandal. Unfortunately, existingsolutions are either ineffective at sufficiently reducing the discomfortor they are aesthetically damaging to the overall appearance of thesandal.

Therefore, there is a need in the industry for an improved fabric-typesandal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to open toe footwear. One embodiment ofthe present invention relates to an open toe footwear system including abase member, toe post, and strap member. The toe post is coupled to thebase member at a region corresponding to a location between a user's bigtoe and the adjacent toe. The strap member is intercoupled between thetoe post and two lateral foot coupling regions on the base member. Thestrap member includes a structural portion which may be composed of astiffer fabric type material that is configured to maintain separationfrom the base member. The strap member further includes a stretchedpadding portion coupled to and extended over the structural portion soas to be externally exposed on both the top and bottom surfaces of thestrap member. The stretched padding portion may be composed of a softermaterial with elastic properties, including but not limited to NYLON,SPANDEX, stretchable leather, etc. The coupling on the top surface ofthe strap member between the stretched padding portion and thestructural portion may be seamless. The stretched padding portion mayinclude both a wrapping and retaining tensile extension. A secondembodiment of the present invention relates to a method for stretching apadded portion across a fabric-type sandal strap member. The method mayinclude acts of coupling a padded member to the bottom surface of thestrap member, elastically extending the padded member across the bottomsurface and a portion of the top surface, and coupling the elasticallyextended padded member to the top surface of the strap member.

Embodiments of the present invention represent a significant advance inthe field of open toe footwear system. Fabric-type open toe footwear isoften preferred to rubber/plastic open toe footwear for a variety ofreasons, including but not limited to conformation, formality,appearance, durability, etc. Conventional fabric-type footwear causesundesirable chaffing and/or rubbing between the strap member and theuser's foot. All attempted improvements to fabric-type footwear whichmay reduce or eliminate the problem of chaffing/rubbing also cause asubstantial decrease in performance and/or appearance. Embodiments ofthe present invention maintain the optimal structural characteristics ofthe strap member while decreasing or eliminating the chaffing upon auser's foot. In addition, embodiments of the present invention maymaintain the desirable aesthetics of a fabric-type strap member byutilizing a seamless coupling on the top surface. Further, the tensilestretching of the padded portion of the strap member creates aprogressive flex upon a user's foot during operation that improvesperformance of the system. In addition, conventional sandals arecommonly sized loosely to avoid rubbing whereas embodiments of thepresent invention may be precisely fit as a result of the integratedpadding.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will beset forth or will become more fully apparent in the description thatfollows and in the appended claims. The features and advantages may berealized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinationsparticularly pointed out in the appended claims. Furthermore, thefeatures and advantages of the invention may be learned by the practiceof the invention or will be obvious from the description, as set forthhereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following description of the invention can be understood in light ofthe Figures, which illustrate specific aspects of the invention and area part of the specification. Together with the following description,the Figures demonstrate and explain the principles of the invention. Inthe Figures, the physical dimensions may be exaggerated for clarity. Thesame reference numerals in different drawings represent the sameelement, and thus their descriptions will be omitted.

FIG. 1A illustrates a perspective view of an open toe footwear systemwith a fabric-type strap member in accordance with embodiments of thepresent invention;

FIG. 1B illustrates a detailed perspective view of the fabric-type strapmember illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 1C illustrates an elevational top view of the open toe footwearsystem illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 1D illustrates an elevational bottom view of the open toe footwearsystem illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2A illustrates a lateral profile view of an open toe footwearsystem with a fabric-type strap member in accordance with an alternativeembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2B illustrates a medial profile view of an open toe footwear systemwith a fabric-type strap member in accordance with an alternativeembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2C illustrates an elevational top view of an open toe footwearsystem with a fabric-type strap member in accordance with an alternativeembodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate a profile schematic view of one embodiment of thepresent invention illustrating a progressive flex concept.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to open toe footwear. One embodiment ofthe present invention relates to an open toe footwear system including abase member, toe post, and strap member. The toe post is coupled to thebase member at a region corresponding to a location between a user's bigtoe and the adjacent toe. The strap member is intercoupled between thetoe post and two lateral foot coupling regions on the base member. Thestrap member includes a structural portion which may be composed of astiffer fabric type material that is configured to maintain separationfrom the base member. The strap member further includes a stretchedpadding portion coupled to and extended over the structural portion soas to be externally exposed on both the top and bottom surfaces of thestrap member. The stretched padding portion may be composed of a softermaterial with elastic properties, including but not limited to NYLON,SPANDEX, stretchable leather, etc. The coupling on the top surface ofthe strap member between the stretched padding portion and thestructural portion may be seamless. The stretched padding portion mayinclude both a wrapping and retaining tensile extension. A secondembodiment of the present invention relates to a method for stretching apadded portion across a fabric-type sandal strap member. The method mayinclude acts of coupling a padded member to the bottom surface of thestrap member, elastically extending the padded member across the bottomsurface and a portion of the top surface, and coupling the elasticallyextended padded member to the top surface of the strap member.

Also, while embodiments are described in reference to fabric-typesandals, it will be appreciated that the teachings of the presentinvention are application to other areas.

The following terms are defined as follows:

DEFINITIONS

Open toe footwear system—Any form of human footwear configured to keepthe user's toes exposed, including sandals, flip flops, thongs, andcertain slippers.

Toe post—A post of material coupled to the top surface of a base memberof an open toe footwear system. The toe post is disposed at a locationon the base member corresponding to the region between a user's big toeand adjacent toe.

Lateral foot post region—A medial and lateral coupling region of a strapmember on an open toe footwear system such as a sandal.

Tensile extension—An elastic extension of a material or member. Forexample, a tensile extension of an elastic fabric-type material overanother non-elastic fabric-type material.

Seamless coupling—A coupling between two members that does not include avisible seam. Various types of glue, heat, and/or cold couplingtechniques may be utilized to create a seamless coupling betweenmembers.

Reference is initially made to FIGS. 1A-D, which illustrate an open toefootwear system, designated generally at 100. The system includes a basemember 105, a toe post 110, and a strap member 120. The base member 105is an elongated platform structure configured to support the sole of auser's foot. The shape and surface contour of the base member 105 isconfigured to correspond to a particular user foot size. For example,the top surface of the base member 105 may include a particularergonomic contour configured to support the arch and correspond to theanatomy of a user's foot. Likewise, the bottom of the base member 105(FIG. 1D) may include a particular tread pattern that both optimizesfoot comfort and creates traction between the system 100 and the ground.The base member 105 may also include one or more force absorbentmaterials configured to absorb certain compression forces between auser's foot and the ground. The force absorbent materials may includevarious foams. The toe post 110 is coupled to the base member 105 at alocation around which a user's big toe and adjacent toe may circumvent.The illustrated toe post 110 is composed of a fabric-type materialhaving a particular stiffness and flexibility. In addition, theillustrated toe post 110 does not extend through the base member 105 asis common on rubber type flip flops. Rather, the toe post 110 is coupledto the top and/or medial surfaces of the base member 105. The strapmember 120 is an elongated substantially flat structure that curves andextends across the base member between the toe post 110 and the twolateral foot coupling regions 125, 130. The strap member 120 includes atop surface and a bottom surface. The top surface faces outward and/orperpendicular with respect to the base member 105 at the two lateralcoupling regions 125, 130. The top surface also faces substantiallyopposite the base member 105 at the toe post 110. The top surface of thestrap member 120 is also the only exposed surface of the strap member120 when a user's foot is engaged with the system 100. The bottomsurface faces substantially inward at the two lateral coupling regions125, 130. The bottom surface also faces substantially towards the basemember 105 at the toe post 110.

The strap member 120 further includes a structural portion 150 and astretched padded portion 160. The structural portion 150 forms thelength and shape of the strap member 120 between the two lateral footcoupling regions 125, 130. The structural portion 150 may be composed ofa durable, stiff, and substantially non-elastic material configured tomaintain a separation from the base member 105 in a non-engaged state.The non-engaged separation of the strap member 120 form the base member105 is achieved as a result of the arc-shaped configuration of the strapmember 120 and the composition of the strap member 120. The strap member120 is folded or curved between the two lateral foot coupling regions125, 130 so as to substantially form an arc with the apex at the toepost 110. The ends of the strap member 120 are also coupled to the basemember 105 in a configuration to support the apex of the arc shape.Therefore, the shape and composition of the strap member are configuredto elevate the apex of the arc and maintain a separation between thestrap member 120 and the base member 105 in a non-engaged state. Thenon-engaged separation is a desirable feature that allows a user toengage the system with minimal adjustments. For example, a user may beable to simply slide their foot between the strap member 120 and thebase member 105, thereby engaging the system 100. The structural portion150 may be composed of materials including but not limited to NYLON,DENIM, leather, etc.

The stretched padded portion 160 is composed of an elastic, soft, andabrasion resistant material including but not limited to NEOPRENE,SPANDEX, etc. The stretch padded portion 160 may be laminated to abacking of soft elastic material including but not limited to a rubberfoam. The stretch padded portion 160 may include compositions having2-way or 4-way directional stretch properties. The stretched paddedportion 160 is coupled to and elastically stretched over the structuralportion 150 including portions of both the top and bottom surfaces ofthe strap member 120. In particular, the illustrated stretched paddedportion 160 extends over the entire bottom surface of the strap member120 and wraps over onto a portion of the top surface of the strap member120. Therefore, the stretched padded portion 160 is wrapped in a mannerthat covers the upward facing side surface of the strap member 120, asillustrated. The unique wrapping configuration of the stretched paddedmember 160 better protects the user's foot from chaffing and/or rubbingthan positioning a padded member on the bottom and/or the top surfacesof the strap member 120. This is because during operation, the user'sfoot articulates at the metatarsal region and the strap member 120 andmay thereby rub against the top surface and the region between thebottom surface and top surface of the strap member. For example, as auser's foot articulates, their skin may fold over the strap member 120.The strap member could also bend to accommodate the contour of the topof the user's foot, thereby causing contact between the user's skin andthe top and side surfaces of the strap member 120.

The coupling between the stretched padded portion 160 and the structuralportion 150 includes a top surface coupling 164 and a bottom surfacecoupling 164 (See FIG. 1B). The illustrated bottom surface coupling 164includes a stitched type coupling between the stretched padded portion160 and the structural portion 150. The stitched coupling of the bottomsurface coupling 164 is also visible on the top surface of the strapmember 120. Alternatively, the bottom surface coupling 164 may bereplaced with some form of seamless coupling in accordance withembodiments of the present invention. The illustrated top surfacecoupling 162 includes a seamless coupling between the stretched paddedportion 160 and the structural portion 150. Various seamless couplingsmay be used, including but not limited to glue, temperature, and/orchemical adhesion based processes. The utilization of a seamlesscoupling for the top surface coupling 162 further enables the stretchedpadded member 160 to elastically expand rather whereas a rigid stitchtype coupling would impede certain elastic expansion directions. Thestretched padded portion 160 is specifically shaped so as to not wrapover from the bottom surface onto the top surface in the region adjacentto the lateral coupling regions 125, 130. This unique shape andconfiguration further enhances the progressive flex supportivecharacteristics of the retaining tensile extension 174 described below.In addition, the unique shape enhances the support of the strap member120 at the lateral coupling regions 125, 130, thereby maintainingoptimal fit characteristics.

The couplings 162, 164 of the stretched padded portion 160 areconfigured to create and maintain a multi-directional tensile extensionof the material. In particular, the tensile extension of the stretchedpadded portion includes a wrapping tensile extension 172 and a retainingtensile extension 174 (See FIG. 1B). The wrapping tensile extension 172is specifically oriented between the top and bottom surface couplings164, 162, as illustrated. Therefore, the orientation of the wrappingtensile extension 172 is substantially normal to the lengthwise axis ofthe strap member 120. The wrapping tensile extension 172 creates adurable and tight adhesion between the stretched padded portion 160 andthe structural portion 150. The durable and tight adhesion mitigatespotential rubbing or float between the stretched padded portion 160 andthe structural portion 150. The retaining tensile extension 174 isspecifically oriented between the lateral foot regions 125, 130 of thestrap member. The retaining tensile extension 174 is orientedsubstantially parallel to the lengthwise orientation of the strap member120, as illustrated. The retaining tensile extension 174 creates a tightand durable adhesion between the stretched padded portion 160 and thestructural portion 150. As discussed above, the durable and tightadhesion mitigates potential rubbing or float between the stretchedpadded portion 160 and the structural portion 150. In addition, theretaining tensile extension 174 creates a progressive flex of the strapmember 120 during operation so as to improve performance. Theprogressive flex is further illustrated and described with reference toFIG. 3A-3C below.

Reference is next made to FIGS. 2A-C, which illustrate an alternativeopen toe footwear system, designated generally at 200. The system 200also includes a base member 205, a toe post 210, and a strap member 220.The strap member 220 further includes a stretched padded portion 260 anda structural portion 250. As discussed above, the stretched paddedportion 260 is stretched across the structural portion 250 to create awrapping and retaining tensile extension 272, 274.

Reference is next made to FIGS. 3A-C, which illustrate an operationalsequence illustrating the progressive flex concept. The sequenceillustrated the operation between a sandal system 300 and a user's foot350. Initially, the user's foot is in total contact with the base memberof the sandal 300 (FIG. 3A). Next, as the user articulates the foot atthe metatarsal region via plantarflexion, the heel region of the footseparates from the base member of the system 300 (FIG. 3B). As the angleof articulation between the user's foot 350 and system 300 increases,the retaining tensile extension exerts a progressively increasingretaining force corresponding to the angle between the user's foot andthe base member (FIG. 3C). The progressive retaining force increases asthe angle between the user's heel and base member 105 is increased as aresult of the elastic properties of the stretch padded portion on thesystem 300. This progressive retaining force minimizes dorsiflexionand/or plantarflexion muscle strain in the user's foot by assisting inreapproximating the base member with the user's heel region at the endof each step.

One alternative non-illustrated embodiment of the present inventionrelates to a method for stretching a padded portion across a fabric-typesandal strap member. The method may include acts of coupling a paddedmember to the bottom surface of the strap member, elastically extendingthe padded member across the bottom surface and a portion of the topsurface, and coupling the elastically extended padded member to the topsurface of the strap member.

It should be noted that various alternative system designs may bepracticed in accordance with the present invention, including one ormore portions or concepts of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 ordescribed above. Various other embodiments have been contemplated,including combinations in whole or in part of the embodiments describedabove.

1. An open-toe footwear system comprising: a base member; a toe postcoupled to the base member; a strap member intercoupled between the toepost and two lateral foot coupling regions on the base member, whereinthe strap member includes a top surface and a bottom surface, andwherein the strap member includes a structural portion and a stretchedpadding portion; and wherein the stretched padded portion is elasticallystretched over the structural portion between a bottom surface couplingand a top surface coupling.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein thestretched padding portion substantially covers the bottom surface andextends onto the top surface of the strap member.
 3. The system of claim1, wherein structural portion of the strap member is composed of afabric material having a particular stiffness configured to maintain aseparation from the base member at the toe post.
 4. The system of claim1, wherein the bottom surface coupling of the stretched padded portionincludes a stitching between the stretched padded member and thestructural portion.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the top surfacecoupling of the stretched padded portion includes a seamless couplingbetween the stretched padded member and the structural portion.
 6. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the stretched padded member extends acrossthe entire bottom surface of the strap member including between the toepost coupling and the two lateral foot post couplings.
 7. The system ofclaim 1, wherein portion of the stretched padded member that extendsonto the top surface is configured to be separated from the two lateralfoot couplings on the top surface.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein thetop surface is oriented opposite the base member at the toe post andoriented perpendicular to the base member at the two lateral footcoupling regions.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the elasticstretching of the stretched padded portion is multi-directionalincluding a wrapping tensile extension between the bottom surfacecoupling and the top surface coupling.
 10. The system of claim 1,wherein the elastic stretching of the stretched padded portion ismulti-directional including a retaining tensile extension between thetwo lateral foot coupling regions and the toe post coupling.
 11. Anopen-toe footwear system comprising: a base member; a toe post coupledto the base member; a strap member intercoupled between the toe post andtwo lateral foot coupling regions on the base member, wherein the strapmember includes a top surface and a bottom surface, and wherein thestrap member includes a structural portion and a stretched paddingportion; wherein the stretched padding portion substantially covers thebottom surface and extends onto the top surface of the strap member, andwherein the stretched padded portion is elastically stretched over thestructural portion between a bottom surface coupling and a top surfacecoupling, and wherein the elastic stretching is multi-directionalincluding both a wrapping and retaining tensile oriented extension. 12.A method for stretching a padded portion across a fabric-type sandalstrap member, comprising the acts of: providing a base member, a toepost coupled to the base member, and a strap member intercoupled betweenthe toe post and two lateral foot coupling regions on the base member,wherein the strap member includes a top surface and a bottom surface;coupling a padded member to the bottom surface of the strap member;elastically extending the padded member across the bottom surface and aportion of the top surface; and coupling the elastically extended paddedmember to the top surface of the strap member.
 13. The method of claim12, wherein the act of coupling the padded member to the bottom surfaceof the strap member includes stitching the padded member to the strapmember.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the act of coupling theelastically extended padded member to the top surface of the strapmember includes a seamless coupling.
 15. The method of claim 12, whereinthe act of elastically extending the padded member across the bottomsurface and a portion of the top surface includes creating a wrappingtensile extension and a retaining tensile extension of the paddedmember.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the wrapping tensileextension is oriented across the padded member between the top surfacecoupling and the bottom surface coupling.
 17. The method of claim 15,wherein the retaining tensile extension is oriented across the paddedmember between the toe post and the two lateral foot coupling regions.18. The method of claim 12, further including coupling the padded memberto the strap member at the lateral foot post regions.
 19. The method ofclaim 12, wherein the padded member substantially covers the bottomsurface of the strap member.
 20. The method of claim 12, wherein thepadded member is separated from the lateral foot post regions on the topsurface of the strap member.